Won't Get Fooled Again
by EighteenSeconds
Summary: Back in '06, Angela Vella, known as Australian diva Angie Sapphire, was engaged to Dave Batista during his affair with Melina. Whilst on tour in Manchester, she sought comfort with three strangers who would go on to be future WWE superstars. When she returns from semi-retirement, she refuses to date within the company again. Even when she meets a certain charming Irishman again.
1. Prologue

**A/N: I own nothing, except my OC, Angela. Just for the record, I am a fan of both Batista and Melina, but I've been wanting to do a Sheamus story for a while and when I came up with this idea I had to run with it. Thank you for reading :).  
**

* * *

**Prologue.**

_**November 2006 – Manchester, England**_

Her heart pounded in her ears with every pull, as 'What a Waster' by The Libertines played at a higher than listenable volume.

Beads of sweat poured down Angela's face as she tried to keep her breathing steady and as the weights on the lat pulldown hit the remaining stack with unnecessarily loud bangs, resulting in glares from nearby gym members.

Tears started to sting her eyes once again as she struggled not to think about what she had just seen. The memory of it all would not stop flashing in her mind. Seeing _her _on top of him, their clothes sprawled out clumsily all over the hotel room, hearing _him_ moaning her name the moment before Angela caught them, him insincerely apologizing as he put his pants back on.

Out of the corner of her eye Angela could see the flip phone, on the floor beside her, flashing and vibrating as it lay on top of the white towel.

She continued pulling at the weights and ignored the phone as it lit up about five more times before stopping. A tear rolled down her flushed right cheek as her upper body spasmed and she gazed towards the ceiling, trying to maintain composure in the public place.

As the opening beats from Led Zeppelin's 'When the Levee Breaks' started to play Angela finally let go of the wide bar and closed her eyes as she rested her head against the back of the machine. Opening her eyes, she paused the song and pulled the headphones out of her ears before stepping over the side of the machine and reaching for her phone.

While remaining seated, she opened her phone to see that she had received three missed calls, all from the same number. As she stared at the screen a light reflected from her left hand.

She shakily lifted her left hand and gritted her teeth as she inspected the hedonistic engagement ring.

She struggled to pull the ring off of her sweaty finger when an excited voice called out of nowhere.

"Angie!" Angela quickly wiped the tears from her face, as she turned to her left to see a young auburn haired girl. "Angie Sapphire, is that really you?"

Angela looked around the gym to make sure no one noticed. "It's me." She tried to crack a smile. "Hi, how are ya?" Angela asked with a strained voice as she picked up her belongings.

"I'm good. I'm Holly, my dad owns this gym. We're both huge fans!" The English girl grinned from ear to ear.

"Glad to hear. Thanks." Angela's tired voice grew higher, before she drank a large gulp of water.

"Can I have an autograph?" Holly held out a black felt tip pen and a small notepad.

"Sure." Angela grabbed the pen and quickly scribbled her stage name. She looked up from the paper and did a double take towards a man who was about to enter the gym; her eyes were immediately drawn to his hip where a large camera rested.

'For fuck's sake!' She rolled her eyes.

"I gotta go take a shower." She turned before Holly could reply.

* * *

'_We are the people that can find whatever you may need,_

_If you got the money honey we got your disease,_

_In the jungle, welcome to the jungle'_

Stephen lifted the weights along to the beat of the loud Guns N' Roses song.

After his first stint with the WWE, playing security against D-Generation X, he had just received the exciting news of a try out match against his friend Drew Galloway.

Though he was remaining realistic about his chances he concluded that this was a huge opportunity, even just to get noticed and get his foot in the door. It was finally happening.

After six more repetitions Stephen called it a day and set the weights down, he didn't want to over do it. He then grabbed the towel beside him to pat himself dry.

As he wiped the sweat off of his neck he noticed a few people chatting enthusiastically near the entrance of the gym. His eyebrows furrowed when he observed the man who had his back to Stephen, a high quality digital camera was slung on a strap over his shoulder and rested on his hip.

He grabbed the bottle of water at his feet and took a swig as he sat up. He yanked the headphones out of his ears and turned around, about to make his way for the showers, when he bumped into something, or rather someone.

"Oh, sorry." A feminine voice apologized quietly.

"No problem." Stephen subconsciously held out his arms to steady the small figure in front of him, softly grabbing her shoulders, eyes widening when he realised who she was. "Wait. Are you…?"

"Yeah," she sighed, knowing what he was about to ask, "Yeah, I am." The soft Australian accent locked in Stephen's guess.

He was standing in front of WWE diva Angie Sapphire, current Women's Champion, former two-time Cruiserweight Champion and multiple time Hardcore Champion. Her talent, wit and looks had made her very popular around the world.

His hands immediately shot to his sides when he realised he was still holding her shoulders. "Sorry."

She gave a small smile and turned to walk away, when Stephen noticed her eyes were bloodshot and her cheeks were slightly blotchy. She had been crying. "Are you okay?"

"Uh," Angie's lip trembled slightly as she struggled to answer.

Suddenly the phone in her right hand rang. She opened the phone and Stephen became puzzled when he saw her jaw clench. His eyes found their way to the screen to see the name Dave. The large diamond on her left hand also caught his attention, how could it not?

What Angie did next confused Stephen even more; she let out a dry laugh and slammed the phone shut, hanging up on her fiancé. She looked back at Stephen and raised her eyebrows when she saw that he was peeking.

"None of me business," Stephen mumbled, "sorry."

The Australian diva just shook her head and looked back down at her phone the very moment it buzzed again. She scoffed and flung the phone open, ready to shut it again, when she glanced at the screen and furrowed her eyebrows. She took a few steps away from Stephen as she answered the call this time.

"Hi, Jay." She greeted, trying to break a smile and sound as cheerful as she could. "What…" She stopped talking and the smile disappeared as she listened to the person on the other line.

Stephen knew he should have walked away, but he didn't. As he stood watching he could see why her looks had made her so well liked, especially in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Though she wasn't exactly in the state he normally saw her in on television, she was stunning.

She had obviously just gotten out of the shower as her thick, chestnut brown hair hung in loose curls as it soaked into her tight, mint green t-shirt, just below her shoulder blades. Her skin was almost as fair as Stephen's, but she had southern European features, brown eyes, long straight nose, full lips and dark, slightly unkempt eyebrows that somehow suited her, quite like a young Brooke Shields.

Angie started to shake as the caller continued to speak. Stephen couldn't tell if she was just cold, with her being Australian and wearing a short sleeve top during the middle of November in England, or if she was crying.

He finally stepped away to mind his own business when his eyes were drawn back to the man with the camera. The camera was now dormant in his right hand, finger ready on the button.

* * *

"Angie, I don't know how to…" Jay Reso, otherwise known as Christian, stammered over the phone, "I saw Dave…".

"I-I know." Angela pressed a finger into her tear duct as she felt her throat constrict. "I don't wanna talk about this now, Jay…" She finally let a cry out, her voice high-pitched and shaky as she spoke.

"Okay." Jay sighed, obviously at a loss for words. "Where are you Ange?"

"I'm at a gym near the hotel, I forget what it's called."

Angela suddenly felt eyes on her and turned to see the fair skinned man she bumped into staring at her with a worried look on his face, his eyes switching quickly from her to the gym entrance.

Two flashes of light hit her the instant her eyes travelled to the door.

"Shit!" Angela hissed aloud as the cameraman held the camera up once more. The second another flash hit, the large Irishman stepped in front of her and dragged her away before she could comprehend what was happening.

She was led past the showers and was stopped, to her surprise, at a door next to what looked like the staff lunch room.

"Ah think this is the staff exit." The man let go of her and rubbed the short, ginger stubble on his chin. "Or the fire exit. We'll soon find out, Ah guess." He chuckled.

Angela shook her head and she returned a short laugh as she slowly came to terms with what just happened. "Thank you." A glint of a smile appeared on her lips as she got a better look at the towering man standing next to her, for a moment her light brown eyes meeting his sincere blue ones. She thought he looked familiar, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

"Ange!" Angela jumped as the phone in her hand vibrated from Jay's yelling.

"Shit." She swore once again as she pulled the forgotten phone to her ear. "Sorry Jay."

"What's going on?" Jay questioned, not hiding the worried tone in his voice.

"I don't know. Someone from the press, I think." Angela groaned, squeezing the bridge of her nose as she started to feel a headache coming along. "I need a drink and one large aspirin." She took the speaker away from her ear and turned to the Irishman, who hadn't budged.

She stole a look at his toned biceps, revealed under a grey, sleeveless hoodie. She'd seemed to have finally found someone who was whiter than she was; the only colour on his skin came from the dusting of freckles.

"Thank you, uh…" She gave him a sincere smile and held out her hand.

"Oh, Stephen. Stephen Farrelly." He introduced himself and shook her hand.

"Angela Vella." She introduced her proper name and grasped his hand.

Stephen reluctantly let go and looked at what she was wearing. "Aren't ya gonna be cold, lass? You could get sick."

She looked down at what she had on and huffed. "Probably." She crossed her arms. "I'll be fine though. Thank you." She thanked him again and cringed as she opened the door, thinking an alarm might go off, fortunately it didn't but she cringed again when the cold air hit her.

Angela shivered uncontrollably as she put the phone to her ear once more. "J-Jay?"

"Ange, come back to the hotel." The worry grew in Jay's voice. "Don't do anything you'll regret."

"I can't go back there. Ah!" Angela screamed as a pain shot to her temples.

"What? Why not?"

"We were sharing a hotel room." Her voice was barely above a whisper as she spoke about Dave. "Look, I'm just gonna get a drink to warm myself up. I didn't grab any clothes and I'm only wearing a shirt and track pants.I only have enough money for one drink anyway."

"You can get hypothermia like that you know." Jay insisted. "You can stay with me and Denise tonight, she says she has something you can wear. We can get your things in the morning."

"All right." Angela mumbled, she felt like a damsel in distress. "There's a pub just near here. I will tell you what it's called when I get there."

"Don't drink too much. I don't wanna find you in a pool of your own vomit."

Angela would have taken that as a joke if it weren't for the tone in his voice that went from worried to serious.

* * *

"You should have seen the poor lass' face though," Stephen remarked as he followed his friend Stu Bennett into the quaint pub. Drew Galloway followed closely behind. He had just been telling them about the little celebrity drama he'd encountered at the gym.

"You in love Stephen?" Stu joked as they made their way to the bar.

"Whatever," Stephen rolled his eyes, "but something's happened."

"Stop worrying, mate." Drew chimed in. "We've got more important things to worry about." He said, speaking of the try out match they had coming up.

"Yeah, you're right." Stephen rubbed his hand over his shaved head, the short hairs scratching his palm. He was worried about something that had absolutely nothing to do with him and someone he might not ever see again.

But then, he looked over to the bartender to order a drink when he saw her.

Angela was seated at the bar with a half empty pint of lager, she was in a trance as she seemed fixated on something in her hands. Her washed hair had now dried and the curls had gotten thicker.

Without thinking, he sauntered up to her, not realizing that Stu and Drew were on his tail. As he got closer, he saw that she had taken her engagement ring off of her finger and was deep in thought as she scrutinized it.

"What's she drinking?" Stephen asked the bartender standing in front of Angela, causing her to startle out of her daze, a flicker of recognition showing on her face.

"Carlsberg." The bartender answered shortly.

"I'll have the same." Drew spoke up.

"A pint of Stella for me." Stu ordered his drink.

"Ah'll have a Guinness, thanks." Said Stephen as he noticed Angela hid the ring, clasped tightly in her palm.

She took a large gulp of her beer and turned to Stephen as the bartender set the drinks down.

"I'm not really in the mood for stalkers right now." She remarked, causing Stu and Drew to cackle behind Stephen, who couldn't tell if she was annoyed or just playing with him.

Chuckling, Stephen took a sip of his pint before speaking, "oh, no, it's nothing like that. This is merely coincidence."

Angela nodded slowly and took a sip of her beverage.

"Besides, this is probably not the best place for a lass to be hanging out alone, late at night." Stephen warned. "Especially when she has a ring that's worth who knows how much." He gestured to the extravagant piece of jewellery in Angela's hand.

"Even if the lass can kick a fella's arse." He joked, trying to lighten the mood.

A length silence filled the bar as Angela pulled the ring back out of her hand and inspected it. "How much do you think this ring is worth?" She reiterated what Stephen had said.

"Why?" Stu asked as all three men looked on in confusion.

"I'm thinking about selling it." Angela laughed coldly. "A charity could use that sort of money." She took another gulp of her drink and squinted at the guys.

"You're all men right?" Her eyes narrowed.

"Well," Stu snorted, "I don't know about these two, but…"

"Maybe you can help me understand something." Angela took one last swig of her beer. "Why would you propose to someone, promise to cherish them for the rest of your life and then, not even two months later, you have sex with someone else?"

The three large men stood speechless, looking like goldfish as they opened and closed their mouths, unable to come up with any answers.

"He cheated on you?" Stephen voice grew lower and he shook his head.

"Are you sure?" Drew mumbled. "Has someone said something…"

"Well, that's the gist of what I got when I saw that bitch on top of him, naked." Angela's attention was turned back to the ring again. "This thing is disgusting." She recoiled and then looked up back at the guys.

"He's a moron." Stu tried to cheer her up.

"Yeh know how many men would probably kill to be wit' ya?" Stephen didn't know Angela, but he thought any man who would cheat on her would have to be out of his mind.

"Just not my fiancé, though, huh?" Angela scoffed. Stephen could see tears starting to flood her eyes. She cleared her throat quickly and blinked as she changed the subject.

"I feel like I've seen you two before." She tilted her head and pointed at the Irish and Englishman.

"We were part of the security team for DX." Stu explained. "You may have seen Stephen get Pedigreed." He snickered.

As Stephen rolled his eyes, Angela looked at him apologetically. "Oh, I've been there." She winced. "How's your head?"

"Better." He smiled.

"Are you guys wrestlers?" Angela asked.

"Don't laugh," Stephen murmured, "but yes we are. We have a try out match coming up." He pointed to himself and Drew.

Angela furrowed her brows. "Why would I laugh?"

"Ah guess it just seems farfetched. Especially for a pasty skinned, Irishman to make it into the WWE." Stephen explained.

Angela couldn't contain a snort of laughter and clasped a hand over her mouth.

"I thought you wouldn't laugh!" Stephen barked.

"Oh no," Angela shook her head. "It's not what you think…" She giggled some more and paused, studying Stephen. "I'm a pasty skinned, five foot four girl from Australia." She smirked. "If I can make it, I honestly think anyone can."

Stephen couldn't help but grin at how genuine and sincere this woman was.

"Angie!" A man called and Angela sighed as she looked over at the entrance of the pub.

Stephen looked over his shoulder to see WWE superstar Christian, who was eyeing him and his two mates suspiciously.

"Come here." Christian sighed, holding his arms out. Angela got up from her stool and squeezed him tightly. "How you feeling?"

"Jay," Angela yawned, "I'll be fine. I promise." It had obviously been a long night.

Christian, or Jay, looked back over at the guys. "Who are your friends?"

"Uh," Angela struggled, "this is Stephen," she pointed to the Irishman, "I'm sorry, I don't really know…" She looked on apologetically at the other two when she realised they hadn't been introduced.

"Stu Bennett." Stu held his glass up and nodded.

"Drew Galloway." Drew waved and smiled.

"Um, Stephen kinda rescued me at the gym." Angela explained how she knew Stephen. "Thanks again. I was impressed. A little bewildered, but still."

"It's no big deal," Stephen waved dismissively. "Ah used to be a security guard."

"Well, thanks anyway." Angela started to shiver again. "These guys are gonna be huge stars in the WWE." She looked over to Christian.

"Really?" Christian pondered. "Well, best of luck."

"Cheers, man." Stephen raised his pint.

"I promise not everyone in the WWE is this dramatic." Angela jested, pursing her lips into a smile and all four men chortled. How she kept a sense of humour during a situation like this, Stephen will never know.

"Anyway, it's nice to meet you guys." Angela acknowledged, walking backwards towards the exit. "Hopefully we can meet again in better circumstances." She glanced at Stephen and smiled before turning to leave.


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N: I'm adding a few former divas to the diva's division to keep things interesting, rather then it being my OC vs Natalya or Beth Phoenix half the time. Also, I'm keeping the Women's Championship. The story is set just after Sheamus' face turn.**

**Angie's theme song is 'Rip It Up' by Jet.**

* * *

**Chapter 1.**

_**July 2011 – Chicago, Illinois**_

The shaking in Angela's nerves grew as she listened to the crowd grow restless during the commercial break. She crossed her arms and fidgeted with her black Rosary bead necklace as she stood behind the curtain, waiting.

"Nervous?" A familiar voice chimed.

"Uh, no," Angela muttered, not turning to see who spoke, "no, I'm not nervous. I'm just - JAY!" She screamed the moment she saw the man standing behind her, leaping into his arms.

Angela held on to Jay Reso for dear life. He squeezed her tightly and chuckled, despite the World Heavyweight Championship belt being pressed into his stomach. "Hey, it's good to see you."

"What are you doing here?" Angela asked as she finally let go.

"Ange, is that how you greet a friend?" Jay pretended to be offended. "Particularly a friend you haven't seen in over two years."

Angela sighed and smiled apologetically.

"What have you been up to?" Jay questioned. "How's Australia?"

"Hot. Look, we can catch up later." Angela dismissed the first question. "What are you doing here? This is supposed to be a surprise."

'_I hear voices in my head _

_They come to me _

_They understand _

_They talk to me'_

Randy Orton's theme song played loudly over the sound system and the crowd began to cheer.

"I thought I saw you walk this way." Jay answered over the music. "I wanted to see if it was really you. You look great!"

Angela grinned as she turned to the television screen behind them to see Randy Orton standing in the ring. Just as he was about to speak Jay drew her attention away from the screen.

"Why are you so nervous for?" He noticed, as she chewed on her nails.

"I'm not nervous!" Angela insisted. Jay raised his eyebrows and didn't say a word. "I'm excited." She paused. "Okay, I'm a bit nervous." She let out a big breath and looked to the ground.

"Don't be. Everyone's gonna be thrilled seeing you back." Jay tried to comfort her.

The veteran Australian diva turned to the monitor again and let out a deep breath.

"Now, I've always said I don't care what it takes to become champion," Randy Orton stated, "all I know is I want it back and I _will _get it back."

'_I've had enough_

_I'll make 'em see_

_They'll never take another drop of blood from me.'_

A mixture of jeers and cheers filled the arena and Angela couldn't suppress a smile as Wade Barrett, known to her as Stu Bennett, walked to the ring.

"It's good to be nervous, isn't it?" Angela tore her eyes away from the screen once more. "Keeps you focused." She seemed to be trying to reassure herself more than Jay.

"Right." Jay smirked and nodded.

"Don't you think," Stu spoke, his deep voice instantly recognizable, "you've had enough chances at the title? Huh, Randy?"

"What makes you think I care about chances?" Randy retorted, "When it comes to that title I don't care about chances or lines or who deserves the title most. There is nothing that can stop me from getting that title, just like there is nothing that can stop me from punting your head off."

The crowd applauded as Stu sneered and snickered silently.

"You may not care," Stu interrupted, "but you, as well as everyone in this arena, know that I deserve that title match more than anyone else on the Smackdown _or_ Raw roster."

'_It's a shame for they, lost their head_

_A careless man who could wind up dead_

_You wear your sin like it's some kind of prize_

_Too many lies, too many lies'_

Angela started to chew her nails again as the man she briefly knew as Stephen, known in the WWE as Sheamus, strolled down the ramp to a roaring crowd, high fiving some of the fans on his way down. He looked different from the time they met; his red hair was longer and standing on end, probably spiked up with a ton of gel and hairspray and his facial hair was neatly groomed above his upper lip and lined along his jawline.

"Look at ya there Wade." Stephen grinned as pointed at the tall Englishman. "Bein' a horse's arse like always." Laughs soared from the audience and Angela's nerves subsided for a second as she giggled.

"There are lots of people who deserve a title shot more than you," the redheaded Irishman continued, "includin' Randy, but especially me. And Ah will kick _both _your heads off if you get in me way." His grin turned into as snarl as the two other superstars rounded up on him.

"I've gotta go." Jay pulled Angela out of her daze. Just as she was about to ask where he was going his theme song started playing. "Don't be too mean to me, okay stunner. It'll be just like old times."

"Just like old times." Angela beamed as Jay left the room. "Act surprised!" She yelled through the wall. Her hands started to tremble as she turned her attention back to the screen.

* * *

"Now, I know all you guys want a title shot," Jay spoke the moment he entered the ring. "Frankly, I don't think any of you deserve it, I think…"

"_You know it's the Mack militant, coming to get it on."_

"_**What is he doing here?" Michael Cole questioned over commentary. **_

"_**This is Monday night isn't it?" Jerry 'the King' Lawler quipped.**_

Teddy Long stopped at the stage and looked down the ramp at the four superstars in the ring. "Imma make this short and sweet with ya playas."

All four men furrowed their eyebrows as Teddy continued. "Randy, Wade, Sheamus." He paused. "You're all gonna get an opportunity to show who deserves a title shot… in a triple threat match this Friday on Smackdown. The winner will face Christian for the World Heavyweight Championship at SummerSlam."

The crowd cheered approvingly. "One more thing," the crowd was silenced, "that match at SummerSlam is gonna have a special guest referee."

"_**Who is it?" Jerry wondered aloud.**_

"Holla." Teddy left the stage to the tune of his theme song, leaving the crowd wondering.

After a lengthy wait Wade chimed in, "Now I will say this…"

'_Get on you feet boys, _

_Rip it up, rip it up, if your ever gonna make it!'_

"_**What?!" Michael exclaimed as the crowd erupted and each superstar's head's shot towards the titantron.**_

'_Get on you feet girls, _

_Rip it up, rip it up, if your ever gonna make it!'_

"_**I can't believe it!" Jerry belted as Angela strutted to the stage.  
**_

"_**I never thought I'd see Angie Sapphire in the WWE again, but she's here! The Australian Spitfire is back!" **_

Stephen's jaw dropped as he looked at the woman on the stage, her clenched fists raised high into the air and her eyes were closed as she seemed to be taking in the roaring atmosphere.

Her dark red lips eased into a smile as she made her way down to the ring with a confident stride, waving and pointing to the fans seated higher up. If she was nervous it didn't show.

She was striking, wearing a white sleeveless lace top that was cropped just above her bellybutton, black skinny leather pants that looked like a second skin and white skyscraper heels. Her thick hair had grown longer, past the middle of her back, and was slick straight with a fringe skimming her eyebrows. This was a far cry from the tearful, disheveled woman he had met in Manchester about five years ago.

"_**She looks fantastic!" Jerry complimented as she grabbed a microphone and climbed the stairs before entering the ring.**_

Stephen turned away for a moment to look at Stu, who was struggling not to smile as he was trying to stay in character.

Angela slowly circled the four wrestlers before stopping in front of them. She looked out over the crowd while they continued to cheer.

"Angie! Angie! Angie!" The crowd chanted. "Oi! Oi! Oi!"

Angela cheekily poked out her tongue as the chanting slowly died down.

"Wade," She gestured towards Stu, who couldn't contain a smirk, "I am so sorry to interrupt you, but I have a little announcement of my own." The crowd applauded with 'woos' and whistles.

"Not only am I gonna be the special guest referee at SummerSlam, but, as of tonight, the damsel is _back, _causing distress in the WWE!" Angela announced, causing the cheers to escalate.

She caught Stephen's eye for a moment and a smile tugged on her lips before she turned her attention to the crowd as he tried to ignore the flip his stomach gave.

"Now, that's not to say that I'll let things get out of hand." Angela gave a look of innocence to the camera.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Stu cut in, remaining very much in Wade Barrett mode. "I don't care who you are. If you do anything to screw up my match at SummerSlam…"

"Your match?" Angela laughed and walked towards the much taller Englishman. "That's cute." Stu startled slightly when she reached up and pinched his right cheek, causing the crowd to cackle.

Stephen joined the crowd and expressed his amusement at the scene in front of him. Most women, and some men, would be too intimidated by Stu to even touch him like that. Then he remembered that Angela had been known to do this sort of thing throughout her career.

He had to turn his laughter into a cough when the image of the petite woman playing got your nose with Stone Cold Steve Austin popped up in his head.

"I gotta agree." Randy Orton interjected, face Stu as he spoke. "The only way that is going to be your match is if I'm not a part of the equation."

"Although, for once, I do agree with Wade on one thing," he then turned to Angela, "I've known you for a short while Angie girl, and you certainly are the type to cause _distress_, as you put it. Especially at the expense of others."

"I don't know where you guys are going with this," Angela grinned mischievously, "but regardless of who is in the match, I plan on calling this match right down the middle. There will be no bias…"

"I don't believe that for a second," Jay disrupted accusingly, playing the heel Christian, "I've known you the longest and if there's anyone I trust less then these guys," the champion pointed to the three challengers, "it's you, Angie."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Angela scoffed, "I was about to say," she strolled over to Jay, "that there will be no bias, _unless_ any of you give me a reason to be bias." She drawled, fixing the collar of Jay's black t-shirt.

She then backed away and leisurely walked towards the ropes, her music playing once again as she exited the ring.

"To be honest," it was Stephen's turn to speak once the music stopped, "all Ah know is, it doesn't matter who the referee is. All that matters is, Ah'm gonna win that triple threat match and then go on to win the World Heavyweight Championship!" He roared to the crowd.


	3. Chapter 2

_**Chapter 2.**_

The moment she made it backstage, Angela made her way straight to catering. Now that her nerves had settled she realized that she hardly ate anything all day. Her stomach growled as the table laden with food came into view.

"Donuts!" She sung giddily as she grabbed a soft, glazed treat.

"I see you haven't changed too much." John Cena teased beside her as he picked up a blueberry muffin.

"Hi Johnny boy!" Angela gave him a hug, careful not to get any of her donut on his red 'Never Give Up' t-shirt.

"How are you?" John asked as she released him from her grip.

"Better now that that's over with." Angela huffed about her return. "How are you?" She asked before shoving the last bite of the donut into her mouth.

"Not too bad. Where have you been?"

Angela sighed before dodging the question. "Good luck in your match tonight John." She smiled and lightly slapped John on the left shoulder before spotting Jay as he entered catering.

Jay crossed his arms as a wide grin appeared on his face. "I thought you said you were nervous."

"What?" Angela's brows knitted as she licked icing off of her index finger.

"You did great out there." Jay praised her. "The crowd went wild."

"Thanks." Angela let out a deep breath and rubbed the back of her neck. "I was so nervous. I'm just glad that bit's over."

"Ange!" A feminine voice shouted and Angela looked around the room to find Katarina Waters, known as English diva Katie Lea.

"Kat!" Angela almost let out a screech as her good friend pulled her into a hug.

"You look great!" Katarina walked towards the table and grabbed a shiny red apple. "Can't believe I haven't seen you in over two years!"

"Yeah, two years in Australia and I still couldn't get a tan." Angela quipped garnering a giggle from Katarina.

Katarina's smile faded when she looked over Angela's shoulder and saw something in the hallway through the double doors.

"Whoa!" Katarina grabbed Angela by the chin before she could look towards the hallway. "Did you spend all that time in Australia?"

"Kinda." Angela shrugged. "I came back here over a month ago. Finally finished furnishing my house."

"That's great." Angela noticed the panicky look Katarina gave Jay as she spoke, her eyes twitching from him to the door.

"Uh," Jay's voice shook as Angela tried to face the hallway again and he jumped in front of her, grabbing her shoulders to hold her attention. "Why don't we go grab some real food, huh? You promised we'd catch up."

"Sure." Angela's nodded when she saw a glint of dread in Jay's eyes and his grip on her shoulders tightened. "What's wrong?" Angela let out a short, dry laugh and scrunched her nose. "What's going on?"

Jay pursed his lips and he finally let go of Angela's shoulders as her eyes narrowed. She took a step back before turning, only to have something crash hard into her left shoulder.

"Ow!" Angela's hand immediately went to her shoulder when she saw the back of Melina Perez, grabbing a banana off of the table.

Spinning on her heels, Melina glared at Angela before pacing back out of catering.

"What was that?" Angela asked, rubbing her shoulder.

"Awkward." Katarina remarked with a low voice. "She thinks you're trying to steal her spotlight." She stated.

"Huh?" Angela furrowed her eyebrows, leaving her mouth open, baffled at Katarina's statement.

"I think so anyway." Katarina paused, looking to be deep in thought. "She reacted the same way when Trish returned for Wrestlemania." She explained, reminding Angela about Trish teaming with John Morrison and Snooki at Wrestlemania instead of Melina.

"Oh, yeah," Angela droned. "I heard about that." The image of John Morrison giving Trish Stratus the cold shoulder conjured up in her mind.

"So John is still with Melina, huh?" Angela raised her eyebrows, completely hiding them underneath her fringe.

"Uh, uh," Jay tut-tutted as he slid in between Katarina and Angela, "no gossiping."

"I was just…" Angela muttered before Jay put his hands on her shoulders again.

"Come on," he nodded his head towards the catering exit, "I'm starving." He groaned and led Angela towards the hallway.

When they exited through the doors, Angela, not paying attention, came face to chest with Stephen.

"Sorry," Angela gave a short chuckle as she startled back and tilted her head up, the aroma of Stephen's cologne reaching her nose as she did.

"That's okay." Stephen returned a laugh as Stu walked up behind him.

"It's great seeing you guys again." Angela beamed. "You've both done pretty well for yourselves."

"Ah'm surprised you remember us." Stephen smirked. "It was a while ago." He reminisced, genuine surprise in his voice as he spoke.

"Well, I recognized Stu almost immediately, his voice kinda gives it away." Angela shrugged and pointed to the tall Englishman. "I almost didn't recognize you. You look a little bit different then I remember." She remarked, looking up at Stephen's spiky, red hair.

"Oh, yeah," Stephen muttered and chortled, "Ah quit shaving me head a while back. Do Ah look good different or bad different?" His eyes narrowed mockingly.

"Oh, good different, definitely." Angela nodded quickly and giggled. "I mean you look nice either way..." she cringed at that remark, "this look suits you." She gave a sincere smile as she looked him up and down. She cleared her throat as the scent from Stephen's cologne swept into her nostrils again.

"Oh, sorry for teasing you a bit out there Stu." She winced as she apologized about pinching his cheeks in front of the Chicago crowd.

"Ha ha." Stu let out a hearty chuckle. "No worries. I'd actually be more disappointed if you didn't. I am gonna have to get you back though…" He teased.

Angela returned an enthusiastic laugh, "I'll be looking forward to it."

"Ah'm looking forward to seeing you embarrass Stu in front of more large crowds." Stephen mocked, causing Stu to roll his eyes jokingly.

"Oh, don't worry," Angela snickered. "You'll get yours too Stevie." She quipped, triggering more laughter from Stu, as a wide grin reached Stephen's eyes showing that he took the joke well.

Jay cleared his throat as he stood beside Angela with his arms crossed. Not admitting she had forgotten he was there, Angela faced him to see he had his eyebrows raised and a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

"Sorry," Angela mumbled. "See ya later, guys." She gave a short wave to Stephen and Stu before maneuvering around them to leave once more.

* * *

Angela and Jay went to a local grill and bar near the Allstate Arena. When they were seated Angela ordered a grilled chicken sandwich and sweet potato fries, with a Jack Daniels and coke to drink, while Jay ordered a cheesesteak, fries and a beer.

Jay chuckled as he watched Angela take a large bite of her sandwich. "Glad to see your appetite hasn't changed too much." He joked, before taking a large gulp of his beer.

Rolling her eyes as she swallowed her food, Angela grunted, "If someone else says something about the way I eat…" She paused, taking a sip of her Jack and Coke. "Is that all people remember about me?" She asked with a teasing look on her face.

Jay cackled and shrugged as he ate a few fries, not answering her question.

They both ate in silence for a moment before Angela noticed Jay kept peeking at her.

"What?" Angela asked, through a mouth full of fries.

"So…" Jay drawled. "Where have you been? What have you been up to?"

"Enough with the questions." Angela didn't know how to answer; instead she guzzled down a large portion of her drink.

"You said we'd catch up." Jay insisted, cocking his right eyebrow up. "You know people have been…"

"I know what you're going to say Jay." Angela cut him off. "I may have been in Australia, but I know what people have been saying. I know about all the rumours and accusations."

Her eyes were drawn to the table as she knocked back the last bit of her beverage. "Everyone thinks I ran away, don't they?" She let out a lengthy sigh and kept her eyes to her plate, playing with the last few fries left.

"Well, I don't." Jay shook his head once. "But that's what I've heard. They're just rumours though." He knitted his eyebrows at the unsure expression on his friend's face. "Aren't they?"

"I see it more as though I walked away." Angela said slowly. "I mean… I always said I'd stop doing this once it stopped being fun, right?" Jay just nodded and let her continue.

"When Carlene injured me," she spoke of the female wrestler otherwise known as Jazz, who had broken Angela's collarbone back in 2009, "I only had a few months left on my contract. Normally I'd be excited about coming back from an injury, y'know, I'd be in rehab, training and preparing myself for when I return… but, that time, I just… I had no motivation anymore."

"I let my contract expire." She let out another big breath. "I went straight to Australia, spent some more time with my family. I helped out with my cousin's interior design business for a bit, instead of just moping around doing nothing. Although I did some of that too." A short laugh burst from her chest.

"D'you meet anyone?" Jay questioned, half jokingly when he saw the manner of deflation on Angela's face. "Sorry… I…"

"I did actually." She huffed. "Eric. He's a rugby player who went to my school. I think we kinda rushed into things. He broke things off when I said I was getting back into wrestling."

"Sorry." Jay apologized again.

"It's fine." Angela let out a dry laugh. "I'm not too lucky when it comes to relationships it seems." She ate a cooled fry and let out another huff. "I've decided, from now on I'm focusing on nothing but my career. No dating for a while…"

Jay had to hold back a chuckle at that declaration and tossed back some beer.

"Especially not within the company." Angela insisted causing Jay to almost spit his beer out. "What? I'm serious!" She slapped him on the shoulder; a little insulted at his reaction.

"What about Stephen?" Jay cocked an eyebrow again. Angela held her head back and furrowed her eyebrows, surprised and bewildered.

"What?" Angela asked and let out an uneasy laugh. She didn't know what else to say.

"Nothing." Jay waved his hand, retracting his comment; the smirk on his face told Angela he had more to say though.


	4. Chapter 3

_**Chapter 3.  
**_

_**August 2001 – Grand Rapids, Michigan **_

_**Angela's Debut**_

The WWE Women's Champion Chyna stood in the ring, head held high as she waited for the crowd to calm down. Referee Chad Patton remained almost motionless in the corner.

Over the past few weeks, she had been holding open invitationals for the women of the WWE to challenge her for the title. So far no one had been able to defeat her. The closest had been Lita, who, the week before lost after missing with a Litasault and falling victim to Chyna's Pedigree.

The challenger had soon gone from just being competitive and being a good sport to becoming cocky and arrogant at the lack of women who could compete against her.

"Now," Chyna began, "I know you were all expecting another Chyna invitational, but… I honestly see no point." She scoffed as the crowd began to boo.

"Sorry to disappoint you all, but there is no one who has the skill to take me on, no one with my confidence, no one with my ability…" She paused. "I've single-handedly taken out everyone in the diva's division." The boos grew louder.

"I have proven that no one can compete against me and succeed."

"_**I'd hate to admit this but I can't disagree with that." Jim 'JR' Ross droned over commentary.**_

"I am above and beyond the rest of the diva's division. And that's why I am the Women's Champion." She held the championship belt high above her head when a mix of electric guitars and sirens played over the sound system.

"_**What's going on?" Jerry Lawler wondered.**_

Angela made her way through the curtain and strutted straight down the ramp, taking note of the cheering and bewildered crowd as she made her way down.

Dressed in black high-waist shorts, a black sleeveless cropped waistcoat and black thigh high wrestling boots, with her long thick hair straightened to flow down her back; she looked ready for a fight.

"_**Whoa," Jerry cooed, excitement in his voice, "who is that?" **_

"_**She's a stunning young woman, whoever she may be," JR agreed with the tone in his co-commentator's voice, "but I don't know what exactly she thinks she's doing out here."**_

A smug look appeared on Chyna's face as the smaller woman climbed up the steps and entered the ring. They both locked eyes as Angela grabbed a microphone from the back end of the ring.

Without saying a word, Angela stood in the middle of the ring and kept her hands behind her back as she stood in front of the champion. A haughty smirk remained on the challenger's face as she swayed her hips left and right.

"Who are you?" Chyna asked slowly. "Should I call security?"

As Angela put the microphone to her mouth to speak, Chyna interrupted her.

"Actually, I don't know whether I should be calling security or your parents, little girl." Chyna cackled to herself.

"Well," Angela let out a short, sarcastic laugh, "you might have a little trouble calling my parents." Her eyes narrowed, as she looked Chyna up and down.

"My name is Angie Sapphire," Angela presented her in-ring name, "I flew twenty hours from Sydney, Australia, where I'm from in case you didn't catch on," she quipped insultingly causing Chyna to raise her eyebrows and clench her jaw, "to be in the WWE."

This time Angela disrupted Chyna as she brought her microphone up to say something.

"I'm actually surprised, no not surprised…" Angela looked towards the ceiling as she tried to come up with another word, "I'm a little pissed off, to be honest, that you don't remember me."

"What…?" Chyna shrugged and held her hands out in confusion.

"I sure as hell remember you." A cynical smile grew on Angela's face, "When you, and the WWE, came to Sydney back in '99 I was so excited to meet you, ecstatic. You seemed like the most appropriate person to ask, so I asked you for advice on making it in the WWE. Bringing back any memories?"

Chyna scrunched up her face and shook her head.

"You gave me that same look," she pointed to the expression on Chyna's face, "you looked me up and down, and you told me that I should consider another career path."

"And was I wrong?" Chyna scoffed as jeers soared through the crowd. "Look, maybe if you grew a few inches taller you might have a chance." Chyna gawked at Angela, staring her down, before snickering.

"If you came here to challenge me, you flew a long way for nothing." Chyna stated matter-of-factly. "You've certainly flown a long way to be broken in half."

Angela smiled, but the smile didn't reach her eyes, as she held the microphone back up.

"Is that so?" Angela questioned to Chyna's nodding. "Well, the way I see it is…" In that instant she gave Chyna a hard whack across her right cheek.

"_**Ooh," Jerry winced along with the 'oohs' of the crowd.**_

"_**I don't know if that was such a good idea." JR remarked in a lower register as Chyna stumbled back, obviously perplexed at the actions of this newcomer.**_

Angela started to shake slightly, almost reading JR's mind, when she saw the anger slowly building on Chyna's face, her cheek now a glowing red.

Suddenly, Chyna lunged forward and Angela, reacting quickly, jumped and kneed Chyna in the gut, causing her to clench her stomach and the bell to ring.

Before Chyna could turn around, Angela grabbed her by the hair and then hooked her right arm tightly around the back of her neck, squeezing tightly. She then executed a Russian legsweep, slamming the back of Chyna's head hard onto the mat.

"_**Great Russian legsweep!" JR marveled with a tone of shock in his voice.**_

Angela flipped over and hooked Chyna's leg to pin, only to get a one count.

Chyna pushed Angela off over her head and struggled to stand, a mixture of wrath and surprise clouded over her face as she turned around.

As Chyna ran once again towards her, Angela, putting her quick reflexes to good use, hooked her left arm under Chyna's and flipped her over in an arm drag, her back crashing on the mat.

"_**Whoa-ho-ho!" Jerry cheered along with thrilled crowd.**_

"_**Look at this young woman go!" JR mimicked Jerry's excitement. "Fantastic arm drag."**_

Angela held tightly onto the champion's arm and pulled it back, pressing a palm into her shoulder.

Using her strength, Chyna stood up and put her arms around Angela's waist. She then flipped the inexperienced Australian over, smacking the back of her skull against the mat.

Angela's hands immediately went to her head as a sharp pain struck when Chyna grabbed her by the temples, pulling her head under her right armpit.

Suddenly, Chyna struck with a DDT, planting Angela's forehead resulting in boos from the crowd.

She then flipped Angela and laid down across her chest for a pin fall, only to get a count of two.

Subsequently, Chyna slowly stood back up, taking Angela's head as she got to her feet. She then gripped onto the challenger's pale hand before Irish Whipping her into the ropes.

As she flung off of the ropes, Angela used any momentum she had and hit Chyna with a strong flying clothesline.

While Chyna stood up Angela took hold of her head and kept her bent forward before leaping up and performing a hurricurana, placing Chyna in a leg cradle pinning hold.

"One, two…" Chyna shoved Angela off right before a three count.

As Chyna rose, Angela darted towards the back ropes and bounced off only to be pulled in a snap scoop Powerslam by Chyna.

Angela's back felt like it was on fire as it hit the mat and Chyna went for the cover.

"One, two, th…" Angela jerked her shoulder towards the ceiling.

Chyna pulled Angela up and whipped her towards the turnbuckle, before running towards her and performing a handspring, then a back elbow, the elbow smacking into Angela's jaw.

Chyna pushed herself away from the turnbuckle only to turn around to a kick to the gut and then a hard bicycle kick to under her chin, the hit echoing through the arena and over an enthusiastic crowd.

"_**That kick damn near almost knocked Chyna's head off." JR observed.**_

Going for another pin, the referee only made it to a two count, with Chyna pushing Angela off of her again.

Getting up before the challenger could, Chyna scurried and hit a boot into Angela's ribs.

Gasping and clutching her sides Angela rolled under the ropes before Chyna dragged her by the arm into the middle of the squared circle.

Standing the younger opponent up, Chyna placed Angela into a front face lock under her right arm and swiftly applied a snap suplex. She then flipped over and tried for another pin, to no avail. Angela was able to kick out just before the three count.

Angela mustered all the energy she could to get on her knees as the champion raked her hands through her hair in frustration.

The Women's champion grabbed the exhausted Angela by the hair when the young Australian stuck her hand between Chyna's legs, taking hold of her right one, and grabbed the arm pulling her hair and yanked it over her shoulder.

Angela rose as much as she could and, using all the upper body strength she could, lifted Chyna off of her feet. The roars from the crowd grew louder than thought possible.

"_**Wow!" Jerry screeched. "Look at this!"**_

"_**I am amazed at the upper body strength of this young woman!" JR complimented. **_

Not sure how much longer she could hold the larger woman up and before her knees started to buckle, Angela threw Chyna off of her shoulders and into a Death Valley driver, slamming her head and shoulders into the mat and pressing her into a pin.

"One, two, three!" The referee counted to an exuberant crowd and an uncertain Angela.

"_**No way!" Jerry rejoiced.**_

It took a moment to wash over her as she listened to the deafening claps, whistles and screams; she had won.

"_**This little Aussie wonder has done it!" JR chimed loudly. "Completely outta nowhere!"**_

"Here is your winner," Lilian Garcia announced, "and _new _Women's Champion, Angie Sapphire!"

Angela pumped her fists in the air before collapsing onto the mat, worn out.

The referee grabbed Angela's wrist and helped her up to hand her the title.

Taking hold of the championship, Angela found a tiny bit more energy to stand up.

Chad Patton held Angela's wrist high up in the air as she lifted the belt proudly. Chad left her side to tend to Chyna when Angela thought of something.

She struggled to the back ropes and asked for a microphone. After being given one, she walked in front of Chyna and smiled, placing the belt over her shoulder.

"You didn't think I could do that," Angela remarked, "did ya?" She cocked her eyebrows once and dropped the microphone with a thud, leaving the ring to her theme music.


	5. Chapter 4

_**A/N: I will post Angie's wrestling attire on my profile. Thanks so much to everyone who has read so far and to the reviewers. Hope you're liking it. :) xx  
**_

* * *

_** Chapter 4.**_

"Angie, wake up Angie." A muffled English voice murmured. "Rise and shine." The feminine voice grew louder and clearer.

Angela rubbed the sleep from her eyes and struggled to open them when a blinding light seeped through her eyelids. She opened one eye and winced to see that her roommate Katarina had pulled back the curtains of the hotel room, exposing the clear blue sky outside and the sunlight flooding the room through the large square windows.

With the left eye still open, Angela leaned her head over towards the clock on the nightstand between the two beds. Through blurry vision she could just barely read '05:20 AM' in red.

"What is the matter with you?" Angela groaned and shut her eyes again, before pulling the white quilt over her head to block the sunlight.

"I'm going to the gym." Katarina stated.

"Then go to the gym." Angela grunted, trying to ignore the sounds of Katarina shuffling around.

"You're coming with me," Katarina ordered, tugging at the quilt over Angela's head, "I'm not going alone."

"It's five freakin' twenty in the morning!" Angela snapped. "I need sleep, I have a match tonight." She reminded her English friend.

"All the more reason to come," Katarina yanked the thick quilt away from Angela, causing her to turn away from the bright sun, "it'll warm you up."

"I am warm." Angela mumbled into the plush pillow, pulling the cover back up over her shoulders.

"You know what I mean."

"Why do you have to go so early?" Angela wondered aloud.

"Because hardly anyone else is up at this time." Katarina answered.

Angela held on tight to the covers when she felt Katarina's hands grabbing the covers again.

"There's a reason for that." Angela folded the pillow over her ears to block out the noise that Katarina was making from shuffling around the room.

"That means we get all the equipment to ourselves." With one yank, Katarina pulled the quilt clean off of the bed causing Angela to curse under her breath. "Come on, it's such a beautiful morning and you want to spend the day in bed?"

"Yes." Angela grunted. "I've seen enough beautiful days to know what they look like. Just go by yourself."

"Come on." Insisted Katarina. "This will be my payback for all the times you woke me up at one in the morning to watch rugby."

"That's the only way I can see it live." Angela shrugged and lifted her right arm over her eyes. "The results could get spoiled otherwise."

"Yes, 'cause I'm sure Americans would talk about how many tries Australia scored against New Zealand." Katarina remarked sarcastically. "Please get up." She tried to beg.

"In a few hours." She yawned as she buried her head in her pillow.

"I'll buy you breakfast." Katarina smirked with intent as she attempted to negotiate.

"Fine." Angela huffed as she sat up and stretched. "I'm up." She yawned again as Katarina couldn't suppress a giggle; food was always a good form of bribery.

Unhurriedly, Angela washed up and changed into a pair of black Puma microfiber gym shorts and a teal coloured tank top. She then packed her navy blue and white Lonsdale London bag with a fluffy white towel, a filled stainless steel water bottle, her iPod, iPhone and her wallet.

Except for a small amount of concealer to cover the dark circles under her eyes, Angela didn't bother putting on any make up and she smoothed her long hair into a high ponytail, leaving just her fringe and a few loose strands.

"Are you ready yet?" Katarina whined impatiently when Angela narrowed her eyes into a glare.

Without a word, she put on a pair of white lightweight Nikes and her favourite Beatles zip up hoodie, which had been worn and washed so much it had now faded.

"Ready." Angela chimed, forcing a cheeky grin towards Katarina as she grabbed her bag and headed for the door.

* * *

"You might wanna go a bit easy there, lad." Drew Galloway chuckled as he watched Stephen lift up the barbell faster then necessary.

Stephen paused to look at his friend and realised he was right. He didn't want to risk wearing himself out before such an important match so he set the large weights down on the rack and made his way towards the pec deck machine, right of the one Drew was using.

Being up this early had its advantages; as well as Drew and himself the only other occupants of the gym, besides the employees, were Ted DiBiase Jr., Cody 'Rhodes' Runnels, Phil 'CM Punk' Brooks and a man and a woman whom he did not know.

Taking it easy, as he sat down, he gripped his forearms against the two pads, starting a steady set of chest workouts.

The entrance to the gym opened and in walked Katarina who made her way straight towards the front counter. Stephen did a double take towards the doors as Angela followed leisurely.

As she leaned against the counter, Stephen's eyes immediately made their way down to her long toned legs. Except for the slightest hint of colour, her legs were almost the same colour as his. She definitely stood out.

She made eye contact with Stephen and a smile tugged at her lips before she reached into her bag to grab out her wallet and she turned towards the young man behind the counter.

Stephen's eyes followed the Australian beauty as she ambled towards the exercise bikes, amusement appearing on his face when he noticed the fading Beatles jacket, with the Sgt Peppers logo on the back, which she unzipped and took off. He couldn't control his eyes from travelling to the small of her back as she reached down to her bag for a water bottle and an iPod.

"Ahem," Drew cleared his throat, causing Stephen to jerk his head towards him.

Drew had a mischievous smirk on his face and shook his head, chuckling at his not so subtle friend.

* * *

Angela couldn't help but laugh at the first song that played on her iPod through shuffle mode. 'Morning Glory' by Oasis blared through her eardrums as she paced herself on the pedals of the bike; tonight, on SmackDown, being her first match upon her return Angela didn't want to over do it.

Now that she was inside the gym, Angela realised that the saying was true; waking up is the hardest part. The gym was almost completely empty, and the few dwellers in the gym kept to themselves as they kept their minds on the tasks at hand. This made for an almost peaceful environment.

'Get Free' by the Vines started playing and Angela's mind went into a daze when she felt something nudge her shoulder softly and looked to her right to see Katarina, on the bike next to hers, gesturing at her to take her headphones off.

Angela paused her iPod and yanked the right earpiece out before looking at her friend.

"I told you this was a good idea, huh?" Katarina teased and Angela just shook her head, not wanting to admit anything.

"We should do spin classes again." Katarina suggested out of nowhere causing Angela to chuckle.

"I don't think so." Angela sighed, shaking her head again.

"Why not?" Whined Katarina. "We used to do them all the time."

"Yeah, until you yelled at that instructor in Colorado and called her a… what did you call her exactly?" Angela paused and looked at the ceiling, pretending to be deep in thought. "Oh, yeah. You called her a fascist spin bitch to her face and got us both kicked out of the gym."

Katarina snorted with laughter. "She deserved it." She spat, obviously remembering the harsh instructor barking orders at her. "Anyway," she smiled mischievously, "we made the papers because of that, remember." She reminded Angela of the press that followed.

Angela snickered as she faced forward, the smile on her face slightly fading when she caught sight of what was in front of her.

She couldn't tear her eyes away from the image of Stephen, her gaze glued to his large, white arms, rippling as they pushed back and forth. His grey shirt was starting to stick to his skin from the sweat, folding against his chest to show a perfect outline.

"Angie," Katarina snorted beside her.

Angela jerked her head towards her right to see Katarina chuckling, looking back and forth from Stephen and her.

"What are you looking at?" Katarina slowly asked with a wide smile. Angela could tell she knew, but confusion still struck Katarina's eyes.

"What?" Angela shrugged innocently and putting her headphone back in before Katarina could say anything else.

When 7:00 AM came around and the gym started to become crowded, they decided that was enough for the day.

"Remember you owe me breakfast." Angela grinned at Katarina as they made their way towards the exit.

Katarina laughed. "I know," she held her hands up, "I know. I can always count on you to remember something like that. But don't act like this wasn't a good idea."

Angela closed her eyes and nodded, but refused to admit her friend was right.

"I just need to go to the ladies room." Katarina muttered before disappearing towards the bathroom, leaving Angela to wait by the door.

"Good morning to you too," a soft giddy voice spoke from the entrance behind Angela, "I'm just…" The woman abruptly stopped speaking causing Angela to turn around to catch Barbie Blank, otherwise known as Kelly Kelly, standing behind her with a timid look drowning over her complexion as she held her phone to her ear.

Angela didn't say a word, but stood staring at the blonde with almost pure disdain.

"Okay, are you ready to…" Katarina halted and glanced back and forth between the two women worriedly. "Ange?" She nudged Angela's shoulder, pulling her out of her daze allowing Barbie to quickly pace towards the counter.

"What was that about?" Katarina asked, noticeably puzzled.

Angela let out a deep breath. "Nothing." She disregarded Katarina, giving her a fleeting look before turning her attention towards the ground. "I was just day dreaming. I'm tired." She sighed and exited the building.

* * *

It was later that night at the Allstate Arena for SmackDown and Angela stood in front of a tall mirror, nervously fixing her outfit for her upcoming match.

Her wrestling attire had changed considerably over the years; she now wore a black and blue zip front bralet top and black leather pants with the Australian Southern Cross printed in white on the left thigh. She wanted something to proudly represent where she came from.

Even though she didn't seem to look much different than she did years before when she last had a match in the squared circle, Angela couldn't help but scrutinize her reflection, twisting and turning to check if anything looked different or maybe _bigger_.

Something else crept into her mind as she glanced at the mirror, the Women's Championship. The thought of holding that title again, for a fifth time, was her main motivation for coming back, as well as the roar of the crowd that made the small hairs on her arms stand on end.

'That's why I'm here,' she thought to herself, 'to be the champ again.'

"Angie," a male voice called from the other side of the door, "you're up."

"Ready," was the only word she could manage to get out before taking in a deep breath.

* * *

Around the ring, the Chicago crowd grew restless as they waited for the next match.

'_How many lives to a count I can see_

Give me an excuse, I would lead you to me

Even your heart for the things agony

I might have to chase you if shall never free'

"This match is scheduled for one fall," announced Tony Chimel, "making her way to the ring from Toronto, Ontario, Canada… Gail Kim!"

Gail Kim made her way to the ring, to a considerable ovation, wearing a light blue outfit. She stood in the ring and stretched her arms as she awaited her opponent.

'_Get on you feet boys, _

_Rip it up, rip it up, if your ever gonna make it!'_

'_Get on you feet girls, _

_Rip it up, rip it up, if your ever gonna make it!'_

"And her opponent, from Sydney, Australia… Angie Sapphire!"

The entire audience was on their feet as Angela made her way down the ramp, nerves immediately vanishing upon hearing the crowd roar.

After entering the ring, Angela climbed on the turnbuckles before spreading her arms out and bowing towards the crowd garnering another round of cheers.

When she stood back on the mat Angela circled Gail before standing in front of her and eyeing her up and down. The two had squared off a few times before, so Angela had an idea of what was to come.

"_**The question that must be on everyone's mind; is Angie as good as she used to be?" Michael Cole wondered almost maliciously. "Will she display any signs of ring rust?" **_

The bell rang and the women instantly locked arms with Angela flipping Gail over in a take over, gripping her head tightly as she pushed into the mat.

Gail struggled for a moment before stretching her legs and wrapping them around Angela's neck, forcing the Australian to release her from the headlock.

Before long, Angela was able to push herself up and out of Gail's grip and stood back up, grabbing Gail's arm as she did, twisting it back.

Angela then hooked Gail's arm over her head and applied a clean snap suplex before covering for a two count.

"_**I think that answers your question Cole." Booker T responded to his co-commentator. "Great snap suplex right there."**_

As she got back up Gail grabbed Angela by the legs and pulled her into an inside cradle, pinning her for a one count. Angela kicked out and rapidly stood up.

Once again the two divas locked up and this time Gail grabbed Angela by her arm and curled it far behind her. She than held onto Angela's neck and applied a neckbreaker, quickly hooking her leg for a pin of two.

Ignoring the pain in her neck Angela kicked Gail off of her prior to standing up, catching Gail as she ran towards her and applying a front hip toss.

Grabbing her head as she was getting up by her hands, Angela ran forward and face planted Gail's head on the mat with a running bulldog, then flipped her over for a pin.

"One, two…" Gail pushed her shoulder up before referee Mike Chioda got to three.

Both divas simultaneously stood up and exchanged five or six strong forearms before Angela hit Gail with a powerful uppercut. Before Gail could collapse Angela gripped her by the wrist and whipped her into the turnbuckle. She then ran and hit Gail with a clothesline, slamming her back against the padded post.

Out of nowhere, Gail gained the upper hand by utilizing an Enzuigiri off of the top rope, kicking Angela hard across the temple ahead of making the cover for a pin. The echo from kick sounded through the arena, triggering applause from the audience.

Angela's head started to throb but she managed to kick out of a two count, this time moving Gail into an inside cradle for a two count.

Subsequently Gail took hold of Angela's forearm and whipped her to the ropes; when Angela bounced back Gail then leapt up and dragged Angela into a Hurricanrana pin.

"One, two…" Mike called when Angela shoved Gail off of her.

Gail rushed towards Angela hoping to attack but was hauled into a massive scoop powerslam, making the crowd go wild.

"_**Vintage Angie!" Michael reported excitedly. "Wow!"  
**_

Instead of going for the pin Angela picked Gail up by the skull, hoping for a finisher, but Gail shoved her arms away before hitting the Australian with a fist to the nose.

Ducking from another fist, Angela ran towards the ropes, sprung off and smacked Gail with a flying clothesline. She then hooked Gail's leg for a pin.

"One, two, th…" the referee counted when Gail lunged her shoulder up.

Becoming frustrated, Angela buried her fingers in Gail's hair, yanking her up and under her armpit. Soon after, she crushed Gail's skull against the mat with a DDT, before flipping her over for another pin.

"One, two, thr…" One more near fall and Angela was growing even more impatient.

Before she was able to get up, Angela lifted Gail Kim over her shoulders and smashed the Canadian into a painful Death Valley driver, keeping her head and shoulders pressed into the mat for a pin.

"_**Here's the classic Angie." Booker chimed loudly. **_

"_**A massive Down Under!" Michael acknowledged Angela's finishing move.**_

"One, two, three!" Mike counted and the bell rung.

"Here's your winner," Tony announced to a rapturous ovation, "Angie Sapphire!"


End file.
